bleeding around vent and one death so far

[DanvilleHealer]

Please help, as I am new to raising hens. Two days ago, when I went out to visit and gather eggs from my girls, they all (5) looked fine, eating well and nothing out of the ordinary. That afternoon when I again went to see them, I found one of my girls dead in the house. I noticied that all around her backside (near the vent) was all bloody. So my first thought was "was she egg bound and I did not realize it which lead to her death"?

This morning when I went egg collecting, I noticied one more hen all bloodied in the same spot but running around and did not seem to hurt. I brought her into my home to see if I could check around the vent. I used some KY jelly and opened the vent to see if there was possibly an egg up there but could not feel anything. I am afraid that when I get home from work today, that I will find another dead one. My girls are only 20 weeks old and I feel totally helpless. Can someone send me on the correct course of action?

thank you

 

[illinichick]

They are eating each other. when they start pecking at the vent area and blood starts, there's no stopping them unless you remove the injured hen. they are bored, let them free range, put cabbages or something elso in the coop for them to peck on. Don't put the injured hen back in until healed, they'll peck at anything that is red or bloody.

 

[Chicabee19]

I hope you find a lot of support here!

Do you have a run for your chickens, or do they stay in the coop all the time?

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

I've had this happen before. A few of my hens were a little fat due to the feed mill not mixing there feed correctly.... The fat made it to hard for them to pass an egg and they got egg bound. After that the hens would see this and peck at her till the blood came. If I didn't see it in time they were dead.

 

[DanvilleHealer]

To Chicabee19,

yes, I have a run for them, it's a ten foot by 13 foot, which they have access to from sun up to sun down. I lost my second girl today. Still on this learning curve but I am getting so much info from you all, that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now down to three hens.....